gordonb Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 The Saladin at Hever Castle in Kent does not have a valid registration according to Bovington records. We have found a spare part in one of the bins in a bag labelled 06BB50, which is a valid Saladin number and the history card ties in with the recent known history. The DIS is July 1958 and the colour code is for deep bronze green, as expected. However the first record entry on the card is for October 1962 when it was transfered to the RAC Gunnery School. All subsequent service was in the UK. At some time, which must have been between 1958 and 1962 it was in light stone so was somewhere hot. There is a photo on the net of 06BB49 in Aden with 2RTR, was this one there as well? Does anyone have any photos of 06BB50 please? I understand 2RTR were also in Libya, was it there perhaps? Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 19, 2021 Share Posted June 19, 2021 Gordon, Is this the Saladin which was gate guardian at C Sgn Royal Yeomanry drill hall in Croydon? I remember it coming to 44 Command Workshop at Ashford (around late Eighties) to be put in visual order and the guy working on it was keen to make it driveable (he had spent many years working on these and Saracens). They had to order a part and a message came back for RAOC questioning as I recall as they were out of service.. I painted the signs, RAC red/yellow and London District. Sadly I did not get a photo of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonb Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 Yes, it is that one. The registration number now on it comes up at Bovy as being a Sexton. The spare part we found was a brake pipe which could tie in with your comment. Very interesting about the signs as it has none now. We are working on seeing if it can go, and also a repaint. The problem at the moment is it looks like the starter solenoid comes in, a nice clunk, but makes no effort to turn the engine which may or may not be free. Then there is an issue with the gearbox, the pedal just flops around. I have a Ferret so know what it should do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 Hi Gordon, The Saladin may not have served with C Sqn as I recall they lost theirs a good few years before and it is likely to have been one that was awaiting disposal and passed to them. I wonder what the registration letters were on there as a Sexton being pre-1949 would have had completely different letters possibly starting with Z. Some Saladins were in the CC range of registrations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonb Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 Our information is that there were two at Croydon, 06BB50 and 06BB47. The record card for 06BB50 shows it went to A Sqn RY for plinth duty in October 1985. After that who knows? We also know there was one at Croydon in 2018 when it was refurbished and figures in the Sharpshooter's Journal. There is no sign of the data plate inside the turret of ours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 I don't think the data plate would be in the turret, I thought it was in the hull. I do think now that I have seen a photo of this vehicle probably taken soon after it was tidied up by the Workshops with my signs on, will have a search around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 (edited) A Sqn RY in Swindon had a Saladin on a plinth when I joined the LAD in 1991. It ended up being being fire bombed by the local youths and it recived a cosmetic restoration in the Warminster Work Shops. During this it ended up being fitted with Bedford MK Tires. At the time the remaining Cyprus Saladins were being surplused and I tried to get them to indent for spares to restore it to working condition but they were not interested. I believe they still have it. Edited June 20, 2021 by REME 245 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueBelle Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 On 6/19/2021 at 11:27 AM, gordonb said: Does anyone have any photos of 06BB50 please? I understand 2RTR were also in Libya, was it there perhaps? Gordon You understand correctly Gordon though I'm afraid your Saladin did not serve with 2RTR in Libya. All of their Saladins, 36x brand new, were in the main ERMd 07BB** with a few in the 00CC** range. In service some were BLRd or worse, replacements issued were still in the ERM category I've mentioned. I have what I believe to be the complete list of ERMs for 2RTR. Their Saladins were subsequently handed over to 14/20KH, then to 5RIDG. Cold trail thereafter though I have photos of some of them with the 3Carbs at the very end of the British prescence in Libya, El Adem 1969/70. 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonb Posted June 20, 2021 Author Share Posted June 20, 2021 Thanks to all for their input to our quest for trying to find out the correct ERM. Richard, now that the turret turns under power I will have a search of the hull for a data plate. REME245, my Ferret Mk1 appears in the Merlin archive as being RY LAD at the same time you were there. Does 03BB33 ring any bells? Gordon Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
REME 245 Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 The HQ element of the REME LAD was not based in Wiltshire so we did not have any Ferrets apart from the Squadron Leaders Mk1. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 20, 2021 Share Posted June 20, 2021 I recall the LAD being at Croydon as we did all the repairs for them as well as C Sqn and HQ Sqn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonb Posted June 21, 2021 Author Share Posted June 21, 2021 The record card for 06BB50 shows it going to "Plinth for A Sqn RY". It also has at least one tyre that has never seen tarmac as it still has moulding flash on it. I will check the size on wednesday when I next visit the site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
07BE16 Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 06BB47 is pictured in Pat Ware's In National Service book as a gate guard with a London District badge Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Farrant Posted June 21, 2021 Share Posted June 21, 2021 33 minutes ago, 07BE16 said: 06BB47 is pictured in Pat Ware's In National Service book as a gate guard with a London District badge That was the one we refurbished in REME wksps for C Sqn gate guardian, I knew the photo was in that book but could not find it the other day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gordonb Posted June 23, 2021 Author Share Posted June 23, 2021 I can confirm the Hever Saladin has a full set of 12.00x20 bar-grip tyres. We're going to re-label it 06BB50 when it gets repainted later this year. Today's excitement was a full 360 degree traverse under power, see the facebook group for a video when Oren gets his finger out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Manylandrovers Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 Who owns it, then? What’s is it’s correct ERM? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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